Plucky 13: Kyrie overcomes mask, Nets to help keep win streak alive

— -- NEW YORK -- The fans at the Barclays Center, most of whom were sporting green jerseys and T-shirts, had already serenaded Kyrie Irving with an MVP chant during fourth-quarter free throws. But the loudest cheers for the visiting squad were reserved for a sequence in the final minute when Jaylen Brown zipped an alley-oop lob to Jayson Tatum for an emphatic slam.

Irving overcame frustration with his new protective mask to score a game-high 25 points, while Brown and Tatum paired up for 32 points as the Celtics won their 13th straight game? 109-102?over the host Nets.

The streaking Celtics will host the defending-champion Warriors on Thursday night at TD Garden.

In the aftermath of that late-game alley-oop, the remaining Nets fans were left to watch Brown and Tatum engage in a celebratory body-bump near midcourt. It was a painful reminder of what could have been.

Both Brown and Tatum, along with Irving, were delivered to Boston by direct result of the draft picks the Nets sent the Celtics as part of the 2013 blockbuster that sent Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry to Brooklyn.

This was the first time since 2013 that Boston played a game against Brooklyn that didn't have implications on a future pick, and Celtics fans had often utilized the hashtag #Netspick while basking in Brooklyn's recent struggles. On Tuesday, Celtics fans simply enjoyed watching the exploits of their past picks.

"I don't think I realized when I came here how big [the trade] was, because it literally was happening as I was talking to [Celtics president of basketball operations] Danny [Ainge] about coming here," Stevens said. "And I was thinking probably more of it from a standpoint of coaching a team and knowing you're losing Pierce, Garnett and those guys.

"I've heard Danny talk about it a lot. That Nets team, as constructed, we all thought would be really good. And they went on, especially that [2013-14] year, went on a tear there for a while where they were really, really good. And it's a hard deal to be able to project into the future. We've been fortunate with regard to being able to get some players here in the draft that we think will help us for a long time. But it's hard to project.

"Hey, at the end of the day, the unpredictability is the tough part of those guys' jobs."

Boston's winning streak has seen different heroes throughout the run, with different players stepping up, particularly when stars were injured.

While Irving and Al Horford helped Boston finish off Tuesday's win, it was Marcus Morris who came up with a string of key fourth-quarter buckets to help Boston separate itself a bit at a time when the team was struggling to score with its stars on the bench. Morris finished with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

The Celtics got Irving back Tuesday night, but he seemed irritated with his mask throughout the game. He would sometimes tinker with the straps while bringing the ball up the court and typically removed it completely at stoppages.

When Irving missed a layup while being fouled in the second quarter, he angrily tore the mask off his face in frustration. It didn't deter him from some clutch late-game hoops to keep the Nets at arm's length.

Tatum finished with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting and sparked Boston's offense early on. Brown had a few highlight-reel moments, including an around-the-world dunk on an uncontested fast break.